Drivers are hit by Labour again as motorway tow fees rocket

Labour stands accused of a new attack on motorists after quietly introducing a huge rise in fees for removing stranded vehicles from motorways.

Until now, drivers without rescue service cover have paid a flat fee of £105 to have their broken-down cars towed away.

But since last week the cost has soared by 43 per cent to £150. Motorists involved in crashes will face even larger bills of up to £300 to have their cars recovered.

The cost of motorway recovery for those without a policy has rocketed by 43%

Last night, motoring groups denounced the 'rip-off' charges and said less well-off drivers unable to afford breakdown cover would be hardest hit.

Nigel Humphries, spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: 'It is just a rip-off that doesn't bear any relation to the cost of towing a car off the motorway. A local garage would charge a lot less.'

The charging structure – which has introduced a sliding scale of fees depending on the type and weight of the vehicle – emerged in a Statutory Instrument, a piece of secondary legislation requiring only Ministerial approval.

It was not publicly announced and was laid before Parliament by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on August 5, when MPs were not sitting.

It was brought in after the Department for Transport said earlier this year that it was 'no longer sustainable' for the Highways Agency to rely on police to remove vehicles.

Instead, the agency has awarded FMG Support a three-year, £18million contract to operate a national breakdown service.

FMG, which is based in Huddersfield, said it could not comment. But it is understood the firm will subcontract jobs to breakdown companies and then send motorists the bill.

While the police will still be responsible for recovering vehicles involved in accidents, drivers will be charged more under the new rules.

Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the IAM Motoring Trust, warned that although the system would be more efficient, it would hit hardest those drivers least able to afford it.

As well as the increased towing fees, the charge for storing a vehicle will rise from £12 a day to £20, a hike of 66 per cent.

Mr Delaney said: 'Unfortunately those who don't have cover are the sort of people who don't have a lot of money and are, therefore, the most likely to break down.'

A spokesman for the Home Office said the £105 fee had not changed since it was introduced 15 years ago.

'It is untrue to say these new fees have been introduced by stealth,' he added. 'We went through the correct parliamentary procedure, which is transparent and in the public domain.'